House of Noailles

Area of Origin: Normandy

The family has noble roots dating back to about 1225 but made few appearances that would draw the notice of the remaining court. In the 16th century Antoine de Noailles was sent to England as ambassador and received the title of Admiral of France as well. It was Antoine's son, Henri, who received the first title to be bestowed on the Noailles family: Comte d'Ayen which was granted in 1593. Henri de Noailles would probably have been proud to know that it was his sons who brought the name of Noailles into the inner circles of power.

The family of Noailles is one of the most well-known of the French aristocratic families; one of the reasons why is the sheer number of them. Several generations managed to produce an astounding amount of children (even for their age) and a remarkably high number of these children survived into adulthood.

At Versailles, the family successfully maneuvered their apartments until they had taken up neighbouring apartments; consequently, a long corridor leading along these apartments was aptly named "rue de Noailles".

The French Revolution would not be kind on the Noailles-family. A good deal of the family were sent directly to the scaffold which sorely diminished their numbers. Yet, their numbers would be their survival - successors to the then-reigning Noailles-family still claim the titles enjoyed by their ancestors when they walked the halls of Versailles.

Coat-of-arms of the Noailles'

Over the years, the family would split into several branches, each led by a duke or prince. These branches were those of the Duc de Noailles, Duc d'Ayen, Duc de Mouchy and Prince de Poix.

The title of Duc d'Ayen was customarily given to the eldest son - and heir - of the Duc de Noailles; consequently, the men who held that title usually became the Duc de Noailles. 

Meanwhile, the title of Duc de Mouchy was created for a younger brother of the fourth Duc de Noailles: Philippe de Noailles. As it happens he would be the only one to hold that title from its creation to the outbreak of the revolution. On the contrary, the branch of the Prince de Poix was made for the younger son of the third Duc de Noailles who would later assume the title of Duc de Mouchy. Thus, the title of Prince de Poix served as a title for the heir to the Duc de Mouchy.

Duc de Noailles

1. Anne de Noailles & Louise Boyer

Anne was born into a very fortunate family and would go on to have a brilliant court career. During the Fronde, he would remain with the royal family and would be a guiding force through the first years of the child-king Louis XIV's reign. His services proved invaluable to the young king and his regent mother - and Anne was amply rewarded for them. First, he was made Maréchal de Camp, the Premier Captain of the Body Guard, then Lieutenant General before being given the governorship of Roussilon and a knighthood of the Saint-Esprit. Finally, he was made a hereditary duke and peer.

Interestingly, Louise Boyer was not his first wife. He had been married at 27 to Carmille de Pestels de Polminhac but the couple had no children; in a rather unusual move, she retired to the convent of Vic-sur-Cère which left Anne free to remarry.

Louise herself was not without status although her family line could not boast of such nobility as the Noailles'. Her father was a secretary to the king and she would later be made dame d'atours to Anne of Austria. She also saw the gains to be made from befriending the widow Scarron who would later become the reigning favourite as Madame de Maintenon. Naturally, this certainly did not lower her in the king's esteem.

Thus, the couple enjoyed posts of high privilege at court which brought them into close contact with both the king and the queen-mother. Both of their offices also required a high degree of trust from their sovereigns which says a lot about their standing at court.

The couple had six children:

• Anne-Jules, Duc de Noailles
• Louis Antoine, Cardinal de Noailles
• Jacques
• Jean François de Noailles, Marquis de Noailles
• Louise Anne de Noailles, Marquise de Lavardin
• Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Gaston, Bishop-Count of Châlons-sur-Marne

Anne de Noailles

Louise Boyer

2. Anne-Jules de Noailles & Marie-Françoise de Bournonville

Anne-Jules was destined for a military career from an early age and inherited the post of captain of the king's bodyguard in 1661. While such blatant nepotism was neither new nor frowned upon, Anne-Jules actually had talent. He would prove himself time and time again on the battlefield fighting both in the king's campaigns in the Netherlands and the War of the League of Augsburg. He would acquit himself so well that he would earn the title of Maréchal de France as well as knighthoods in both the Order of Saint-Esprit and Saint-Louis.

Like his father, Anne-Jules earned the trust and respect of Louis XIV. It was he who was chosen to lead the king's grandson, Philippe d'Anjou, to the Franco-Spanish border when Philippe was made king of Spain.

Marie-Françoise was the daughter of the Duc de Bournonville; she had the distinction of giving her husband no fewer than 18 children. Considering the toll so many pregnancies must have taken - and that in an era with no knowledge of hygiene - it is a wonder that she managed to survive so many childbirths. 

The couple had a staggering 18 children - 11 girls and 7 boys! Of such a high number it is even more remarkable that "only" five died in childhood:

• Marie Christine, Duchesse de Gramont
• Louis Marie, died in childhood
• Louis Poul, died in childhood
• Marie Charlotte, Marquise de Coëtquen
• Adrien Maurice, Duc de Noailles
• Anne Louise, died in childhood
• Jean Anne, died in childhood
• Julie Françoise, died in childhood
• Lucie Félicité, Duchesse d'Estrées
• Marie-Thérèse, Duchesse de La Vallière
• Emmanuel Jules, Comte de Noailles
• Marie-Françoise, Marquise de Lavardin
• Marie Victoire, Marquise de Gondrin, later Comtesse de Toulouse
• Marie Émilie, Marquise de Châteauregnaud
• Jules Adrien, Comte de Noailles
• Marie Uranie, nun
• Jean Emmanuel, marquis de Noailles
• Anne Louise, Marquise de Courtanvaux

Anne-Jules

Marie-Françoise

3. Adrien Maurice de Noailles & Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné

Adrien was appointed to the financial council during the regency; he generally did very well for himself during this time, as the Duc d'Orléans had been supported by the Noailles and thus owed them certain favours. Still, a military career was not ruled out and Adrien served during both the Wars of Succession of Poland and Austria. Meanwhile, Louis XV - now an adult - appointed him to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Clearly the king trusted Adrien as he was also entrusted with several important diplomatic missions; one was a trip to Spain which earned him the title of Grandee of Spain as well as a knighthood of the Golden Fleece.

Françoise Charlotte was the niece of Madame de Maintenon and thus her marriage was largely arranged by the king's mistress. Once Maintenon died, Françoise inherited her fortune and her estates. She used part of her inheritance to purchase the Hotel de Pussort which she quickly turned into her own estate.

They had six children:

• Françoise Adélaide, Comtesse d'Armagnac
• Amable Gabrielle, Duchesse de Villars
• Marie Louise, Duchesse de La Force
• Louis, Duc de Noailles
• Philippe, Duc de Mouchy
• Marie Anne Françoise, Comtesse de La Marck

Adrien

Françoise Charlotte

4. Louis de Noailles & Catherine Françoise Charlotte de Cossé-Brissac

Stepping directly into military service, Louis was already granted a post of mestre de camp at the age of 16. From then on, his career in the army took off and saw him fight in several of the most famous battles of the 18th century including the Battle of Fontenoy. He fought in Italy, Saxony, the Netherlands and Baden.

At court, Louis was a model courtier who managed to gain the good graces of Louis XV, particularly due to his love of botany - a passion shared by the king. During the revolution, he barely escaped the guillotine by dying of old age in 1793.

Born to the Duc de Brissac, Catherine was married off to Louis when she was just 13 years old - at fifteen she gave birth to their first child. Unlike her husband, she was caught up in the revolution and was arrested despite being 70 years old. She was guillotined alongside her daughter-in-law in 1794.

They had four children: 

• Jean-Louis-Paul-François, Duc d'Ayen
• Adrienne-Catherine, Comtesse de Tessé
• Emmanuel-Marie-Louis, Marquis de Noailles
• Philippine Louise Catherine, Duchesse de Lesparre

Louis

Catherine

Duc d'Ayen

1. Louis de Noailles & Catherine Françoise Charlotte de Cossé-Brissac

2. Jean-Louis-Paul-François de Noailles & Henriette-Anne-Louise d'Aguesseau

Following in his father's footsteps, Jean-Louis-Paul-François entered the military during the last years of the Seven Years War. He would eventually become Maréchal de Camp before finally reaching the rank of Lieutenant General. His time in the army made him an ideal candidate for the War Council of 1781 in which he proposed several reforms to ease the lives of the soldiers. 

Personally, he was remarkable for his rejection of religion and his open love for the sciences. During the revolution, he partook in the defense of the Tuileries in 1792 before finally emigrating. Yet, he could not get his family with him which resulted in his wife, mother and eldest daughter being guillotined.

Henriette-Anne-Louise lost her mother immediately after her birth and when her father remarried, she was sent off to a convent for education. When her grandfather died, Henriette became the heiress of his considerable fortune. After their marriage, the couple spent remarkably little time together as she resided in Paris - where she kept a salon - while he was usually with the army. Nevertheless they managed to have seven children:

• Antoine-Paul-Louis
• Anne-Jeanne-Baptiste-Pauline-Adrienne-Louise-Catherine-Dominique, Vicomtesse de Noailles
• Adrienne, Marquise de La Fayette
• Françoise-Antoinette-Louise, Marquise du Roure
• Anne-Pauline-Dominique, Marquise de Pouzols
• Angélique-Françoise, Marquise de Grammont
• Louis Gabriel

Henriette

Duc de Mouchy

1. Philippe de Noailles & Anne Claude Louise d'Arpajon

As the younger son of Adrien Maurice, Duc de Noailles, Philippe was given the title of Prince de Poix; the principality was his inheritance from his aunt, the Duchesse de Richelieu. Later, he would also be given the title of Duc de Mouchy as well as the title of Grandee of Spain. The latter two were given by the king of Spain; the young Philippe had accompanied his father on his ambassadorship to Madrid.

Throughout his life Philippe would be showered with titles and honours: governor of Versailles (at the age of five!), knight of the Saint-Esprit, knight of the Saint-Louis, governor of Guyenne and knight of the Golden Fleece.

On the battlefield, Philippe was renowned for his sang-froid and earned his rank of both Maréchal de France and Lieutenant General. Once he left the army, Philippe went straight into a career of service at court. He was amongst those who fetched the new dauphine, Marie Antoinette, along with his wife. Philippe remained a loyalist to the end and even refused to flee Paris, choosing instead to defend the king. He was guillotined in 1794.

Anne is better known to history as Madame Etiquette, the moniker bestowed on her by Marie Antoinette, whom she served as dame d'honneur. While hardly respectful, the nickname was not far off. Anne was deeply concerned with the intricate etiquette of the French court and thus was a prime candidate to teach the new dauphine the ways of the court. Anne was dismissed once Marie Antoinette became queen.

During the revolution, Anne was arrested and guillotined in 1794.

Philippe

Anne

The couple had six children:

• Louise-Charlotte, Duchesse de Duras
• Charles Adrien
• Louis Philippe
• Daniel-François-Marie
• Philippe-Louis
• Louis-Marc-Antoine, Vicomte de Noailles

Prince de Poix

1. Philippe de Noailles & Anne Claude Louise d'Arpajon

See above.

2. Charles Adrien de Noailles

Son of Philippe and Anne, died in childhood

3. Louis Philippe de Noailles

Son of Philippe and Anne, died in childhood

4. Daniel François Marie de Noailles

Son of Philippe and Anne, died in childhood

5. Philippe Louis Marc Antoine de Noailles & Anne-Louise-Marie de Beauvau-Craon

Besides inheriting the title of Prince de Poix from his father, Philippe also inherited the governorship of Versailles - he was the last to hold that post. Easily influenced by the new ideas of his time, he did not go as far as his younger brother but did support moderate reforms. He returned from his exile to defend the royal family before finally escaping to England.

Anne-Louise-Marie was the daughter of the Prince de Beauvau. Rather unusually, she was older than her husband although only by three years. She was seventeen when they married while Philippe was just fourteen.

The couple had two children:

• Charles Arthur Tristan Languedoc, Prince de Poix
• Antonin Claude Dominique Jus, Comte de Noailles

While the four branches above represent the cream of the family, there were other titles for those numerous younger sons, including both the Marquis de Noailles and the Vicomte de Noailles:

Marquis de Noailles

1. Jean-François de Noailles & Marguerite-Thérèse Rouillé

Jean-François followed in the family footsteps and took up a military career. As a fourth living son of the Duc de Noailles it was extremely unlikely that he would inherit the title and was given the courtesy title of Marquis de Noailles instead. Sadly, he would die at the age of forty while serving in Flanders. 

When Jean-François died, Marguerite-Thérèse remarried to the Duc de Richelieu. This means that she arranged a marriage between her daughter and her own stepson. As it happens, she made the match a condition for accepting another marriage. Her life would be full of loss; first, she lost her husband and then all three of her daughters pre-deceased her.

While Marguerite-Thérèse technically "married up" from a marquis to a duc, she was not without titles in her own right. She bought the principality of Poix from the house of La Trémoille in 1718 which she would later bestow on her late husband's nephew, Philippe.

They had three children:

• Louise Antoinette, died in childhood
• Anne-Marie, died at 12
• Anne-Catherine, Duchesse de Richelieu

Jean-François

Marguerite-Thérèse

2. Emmanuel Marie Louis de Noailles & Charlotte-Françoise de Hallencourt de Dromesnil 

Rather unusually for a Noailles-man, Emmanuel chose a career as a diplomat to one as a soldier. Consequently, he was sent on missions to Hamburg, the Netherlands, Vienna and London. At court, he was the premier gentilhomme de la chambre of the Comte de Provence.

He was imprisoned during the revolution but was released upon the fall of Robespierre; he would later regain his lands during the First Empire.

Charlotte-Françoise was the daughter of the Marquis de Dromesnil.

They had five children 

• Louis Jules César, marquis de Noailles
• Unknown child
• Marie Philippe Adrien Maurice
• Achille Charles Victor, Comte de Noailles
• Marie Joseph Victor Maurice

Vicomte de Noailles

1. Louis Marie Antoine de Noailles & Anne Jeanne Baptiste Georgette Adrienne Pauline Louise Catherine Dominique de Noailles

As the younger son of the Duc de Mouchy, Louis Marie Antoine was destined to make his own fortune in the military - and he did, becoming Mestre de Camp. He became a supporter of the abolition of the aristocracy's privileges but appears to have still supported a monarchy. He would continue in his army career during Napoleon.

Anne was the first-cousin of Louis as the daughter of the Duc de Noailles. Sadly, she did not survive the revolution - she was guillotined with her relatives in 1794.

They had four children:

• Adrienne Théodore Philippine
• Louis Joseph Alexis
• Alfred Louis Dominique Vincent
• Adélaide Marie Euphémie Cécile

Interesting anecdotes/facts:

• Two of the sons of Philippe de Noailles and Anne d'Arpajon were elected to the Estates Généraux in 1789 - the youngest was particularly vocal about his support for the abolition of privileges
• Louise-Charlotte de Noailles served as dame du palais to both Marie Leszczynska and Marie Antoinette
• The family mustered 5 Maréchaux de Camp and 2 Maréchaux de France - as well as one cardinal
• Marie-Victoire de Noailles (Marquise de Gondrin, later Comtesse de Toulouse) became close to Louis XV after she agreed to help him arrange his liaisons with the Nesle-sisters